Shoe heel fastener



June lO, 1958 D. w. TWEDT 2,837,841

SHOE HEEL EASTENER Filed July 18, 1957 "2 56 65 INVENTOR. DIK WARREN TWEDT 12am.v

ladhesive and nails.

Y SHOE HEEL FASTENER Dik Warren rhvedt, Wilmette, Ill. Applicatill July 18, 1957, Serial N0. 672,782

4 Claims. (Cl. 3 6-1-36) The present invention relates to an` article of manufacture, more particularly to a device for attaching heels to slices.

it is the experience of most persons that the heel is the most rapidly worn portion of a shoe. At present heels are attached to shoes by means of adhesive cement and nails driven into the soles of the shoe. The time, specialized tools, and mechanical skills required to replace worn heels on a pair of shoes using the old style nails and adhesive cement is considerable. Moreover, it is not infrequent that the nails driven into the heel for attaching the heel. to `the sole of the Vshoe puncture the insole and causethe wearer great discomfort. Thus it is necessary to renew heels two or more times during the life of a pair of shoes with the attendant distortion and actual mechanical destruction to the original shape of the shoe and the shoe sole.

One object of my invention therefore is to provide a means whereby heels may be attached to shoes quickly,

Arequiring only a minimum of tools and mechanical skill.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device for rmly attaching the heels to shoes free of the necessity of driving nails through the heel and into the sole of the shoe, and free of the destruction occasioned by pulling a worn heel olf 'the shoe sole fastened thereto with Still another object of my invention is to provide a secure and rugged means for attaching heels to the soles of shoes that facilitates rapid replacement of worn heels without destruction to the shoe sole and requires no special tools.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following specification, drawings, and

. claims.

My invention comprises Vbriefly a two part fastener which positively' locks the heel to the shoe sole, one part of the fastener being permanently attached to the shoe sole at the time of its manufacture, and the second part of the fastener being made an integral structural part of the heel.

One modification of my invention is illustrated in Fig. l which shows in a plan view of a heel, one portion of my fastening device.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a shoe adapted to utilize my heel attachment device as illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of a fragment of the lshoe illustrated in Fig. 2 cut on line 3-3 showing the modification of my heel fastening device illustrated in Fig. l as cut on line 3 3. .v

- Fig. 4is a planv view of a heel illustrating a second embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5-5 illustrating the embodiment in my invention shown in Fig. 4, illustrating portions of a heel and shoe sole and the complementary parts ,of my fastener which are attached permanently to the shoe sole and the heel.

`Fig. 6 is a plan view of a heel showing a third embodiment ofmy invention.

- UnitedStates Patenti O 2,837,841 Patented June I, 14958 t. ice

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line 7-7 illustrating the embodiment shownA in Fig. 6 of my fastener and further illustrating portions of a shoe sole and heel portions of my fastener device.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a heel 10 provided with a recessed cavity 12. The cavity 12y is open along the forward edge of the heel 14 and the upper surface of the heel 16. The contourof the cavity 12 is sloped along its sides 18 such that the opening on the surface 16 is smaller in cross sectional area than the lower surface 20 of the cavity. Moreover, the cavity 12 is shaped such that the cross sectional area narrows from front 14 of the heel to the rootV of-the cavityv 22. The cross section of the cavity 12 is thus narrower at the open surface 16 than at'the cavity base surface 20, and narrower at its root-22, and at all intermediate planes perpendicular to the surface 16, than the opening of the cavity 12 on the forward surface of the heel 14.

A solid insert or boss 24 rigidly attaches to a plate 26. The boss 24 is curved and shaped to wedge tightly into the cavity 12 and fit against all the cavity surfaces 18 and 2l). The plate 26 extends well beyond the boss 24 on all sides and is adapted to lit into a shallow indentation 23 in the shoe sole 30 or as illustrated in the embodiment of Figs. 6l and 7 to fit inside vthe sole 32 between the sole 32' and insole 34'.` The bosses 38 and 40 extending through openings in the sole 32 provided therefor.

Bolts 44 having enlarged but shallow head portions 46 pass through the heel and are attached to the boss 24 by means of threads. The purpose of the threaded bolts being merely to prevent the heel from sliding with respect to the shoe sole. The structures which hold the heel in place being the boss 24 and the cavity 12 with the sloped side surfaces 18.

A simpler embodiment of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. A triangular cavity S0 having the base thereof open on the forward edge of the heel 51 with sloping side walls 52 is recessed in the heel 54. A boss 56 attached to a plate 5S is inserted into the cavity 50. The plate is embedded in the insole 60 of the shoe, an opening being provided in the shoe sole 62 through which the boss 56 protrudes. A bolt 64 having an enlarged head 66 passes through the heel 54 and is attached at one end to the boss 56 by means of threads. The base plate 58 of my fastener may be attached permanently to the insole 60 and upper portion of the shoe sole 62 with cement. p

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate still another variation of my invention wherein two separate bosses 68 and 7G are attached to one single base plate 72. The double boss might be best employed on large size mens shoes such as boots for solders; whereas the embodiment of Figs. l and 2 might be best employed for use in a mans dress oxford, and the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 employed Afor womens oxfords.

lt is my expectation that shoes be equipped at the time of manufacture with the plate and boss 26 and 24, as illustrated in Fig. l, and that heels be moulded with suitable cavities such as cavity 12 illustrated in Fig. l. Heels may then be assembled to the shoe sole for instance by merely sliding the boss 24 into the cavity 12 and threading the bolt 44 through the opening in the heel and into the threaded opening in the boss 24. Replacement of a worn heel 10 wouldrequire only that with a screw driver the bolt 44 be removed and the heel 10 be slid off the shoe sole and a new replacement be slid into place and the bolt 44 inserted and tightened into place. Y

No ripping, hammering, or large forces need be exerted on the heel, the sole, or the other portions of the shoe to remove a worn heel or toV attach the new replacement heel.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of my invention are merely illustrative and are not sub mitted as limitingthe inventive concept which is limited in scope only by theV claims below. VWhatisV claimed is:

1. `A device for securing replaceable heels to shoe soles comprising in combination a replaceable heel having a concavity and a fastener comprising a base plate and boss .integrally attached thereto the bos's being angled on two perpendicular planes Ysuch that it is narrower at its root `adjacent to the base plate, and, at one end,- the base plate being provided with a plane surface suitable for ready permanent attachment with adhesive to the sole of a shoe, and aheel having a concave contour complementary to the boss whereby the heel may be securely held 'to the shoe Vsole by inserting the boss into the concave contour;V 2. A device for securing replaceable heels to the hole of a shoe comprising in combination a replaceable heel having a shaped concavity and a fastener comprising a base plate adapted to be readily attached by conventional means to the sole'of a shoe, a raised boss attached to the nbase plate, the boss being tapered and narrower at its root adjacent the base plate than at its surface, and tapered inV a second perpendicular plane to be narrower at a Iirst end than at'a second end, and a replaceable heelhaving a concavity open on two perpendicular planes the cavity inthe heel adapted to closely t the contour of the boss whereby the heel may be held securely i4 fastened to the shoe sole by slidingthe boss into the cavity until it is rmly wedged therein.

3. A device for securing replaceable heels to shoe soles comprising in combination a replaceable heel having a concavity and a fastener comprising a core tapered in two perpendicular planes, a base plate having a plane surface which may be permanently fastened to a shoe sole with conventional Ymeans, the core being integrally fastened to the base plate, Vand a replaceable heel having a cavity kopen on two perpendicular planes and shaped to conform to the shape of the corewhereby the heel may be readily attached to the shoe sole by wedging the core into the cavity. v

4. Means for attaching replaceable' heels to shoe soles comprising in combination a heel having a shaped concavity, and a fastener, the fastener comprising a at base plate having a plane surface readily permanently attachable to a shoe sole by adhesive, a boss integrally attached thereto, tapered on two prependicular planes such that the boss is narrower at its root adjacent the base plate than at its surface and is narrower atY a first end than at a second end, and a replaceable heel having a cavity opening on two perpendicular planes, the cavity tapered to be smaller at a rst end, open opposite the first end, the cavity being larger at its base than on the second openrsurface opposite thereto, the cavity having the dimensions and shape of the boss whereby the heel may be securely fastened to the shoe sole by sliding the boss into the cavity until it is rmly wedged therein.

No references cited. 

